
Class 






Digitized by the Internet Archive 
in 2010 with funding from 
The Library of Congress 



http://www.archive.org/details/conscriptquakersOOfost 



THE 

CONSCRIPT QUAKERS, 



BEING A 



NARRATIVE OF THE DISTRESS AND RELIEF 

OF FOUR YOUNG MEN FROM THE 

DRAFT FOR THE WAR IN 1863. 



BY 

ETHAN FOSTER. 



CAMBRIDGE: 
Printed ut tje Ktbcrfiitre Preaisii 

1883. 



«- 






At a meeting for Sufferings of New 
England Yearly Meeting of Friends, 
held at Pawtucket, R. I., 8th month 1st, 
1883, Ethan Foster presented to this 
meeting a narrative in manuscript of the 
efforts made by himself and Charles 
Perry in 1863 for the relief of four young 
men who were drafted to go into the 
army ; which their conscientious scru- 
ples forbade them to do. The friends 
named were members of a Committee of 
South Kingstown Monthly Meeting, in 
R. I., appointed to have the care of such 
cases. The narrative has been read to 
our satisfaction, and Ethan Foster is left 
at liberty to publish it, with the approval 
of this meeting. 

JEREMIAH FOSTER, Clerk. 



KoTE. It is expected that this little narrative may- 
fall into the hands of manj'- who are not familiar with 
Friends and their methods. For such this note is made. 

The Society of Friends very early established a represen- 
tative body, in each Yearly Meeting, called 'T^e Meet- 
2^5' fof Sufferings,''' to have a special care in cases of the 
hard treatment and suffering of any, on account of their 
maintaining our principles ; and to afford relief if possible. 
This meeting is continued under the same name, and has 
general care for the welfare of the Society ; of latter times, 
perhaps, more especialh'-, in regard to what may be pub- 
lished touching its doctrines and testimonies. This name 
may seem unsuitable for a meeting ; but we apprehend 
that whoever may read a little book recently published, 
entitled "The Quaker Invasion of Massachusetts," by 
Richard P. Hallowell, setting forth the treatment of 
Friends by the Puritans, in an able and unanswerable 
manner, will be convinced of the need of such a body, 
and that its name was appropriate and well chosen. 

ETHAN FOSTER, 
CHARLES PERRY. 

Westerly, R. I., ^tk mo. 1st, 1883. 



THE CONSCRIPT QUAKERS. 



In the summer of 1863, tlie Goyern- 
ment of the United States ordered a 
draft, for the purpose of increasing the 
force to put down the rebellion in the 
Slave States. The laws of Rhode Island, 
as also those of some of the other states 
which had exempted Friends from mili- 
tary service, were, under the extraordi- 
nary excitement attending the draft, 
suddenly repealed.^ But even had this 
not been done, the government order, 
issued as it was in time of war, would 
probably have overruled the state laws. 
The fact that they were repealed shows 

1 See note at the eud. 



6 THE CONSCRIPT QUAKERS. 

the strong feeling of intolerance which, 
in the agitation of the time, prevailed 
in regard to the conscientious scruples 
of Friends against being concerned in 
war. 

It is not my purpose to consider the 
reasons why so few were, in consequence 
of this condition of affairs, brought into 
trouble, like those of whom I am now 
more particularly to speak. There is 
abundant evidence that the well known 
testimony of the Society of Friends 
against war was sadly disregarded, not 
only in New England, but throughout 
the whole country. This seems gener- 
ally to have been done by the payment, 
either directly or indirectly, on the part 
of the drafted persons, of the commu- 
tation (three hundred dollars), which by 
law exempted them from serving : this 
amount being used to hire a substitute. 



THE CONSCRIPT QUAKERS. 7 

The delinquency in sustaining this par- 
ticular testimony of the Society was 
doubtless owing in great measure to the 
general and almost universal departure, 
of late years, from many other of our 
primitive and vital testimonies. 

It was under these circumstances that 
several members of the smaller body in 
New England were drafted.^ Some of 
these were exempted on account of phys- 
ical disability. Two members of Ehode 
Island Quarterly Meeting, however, were 
held ; as were two others — one a young 
man from Maine, then at the Providence 
Boarding School, and the other a " Rog- 
erine," so called, a sect which also re- 
nounces war ; and is principally located 

2 This smaller body, or Yearly Meeting, was the result 
of a separation in 1845 on doctrinal issues ; the smaller 
body being sometimes termed Wilburites from John Wil- 
bur, who took a prominent part in opposing innovation in 
doctrine into the Society. 



8 TEE CONSCRIPT QUAKERS. 

at Groton, Connecticut. The cases of 
these young men were taken in charge 
by a committee of South Kingstown (R. 
I.) Monthly Meeting of Friends, ap- 
pointed for the purpose, and Charles 
Perry and myself were designated to act 
on their behalf and obtain relief if pos- 
sible. 

We had several interviews with the 
state authorities — the Governor (James 
Y. Smith), and the Provost Marshal 
(Alfred B. Chadsey), both of whom man- 
ifested much sympathy for our suffering 
friends, and expressed a willingness to 
do whatever they could to help them. 
They finally recommended that we 
should lay the case before the President 
of the United States. In accordance 
with this advice we went to Washington 
not long after the battle of Gettysburg. 
President Lincoln received us kindly, 



THE CONSCRIPT QUAKERS. 9 

but said he did not see liow he could 
grant our friends exemption from mili- 
tary service, without so far " letting 
down the bars " as to render nugatory 
all his efforts to crush the rebellion. 
Upon being told that we did not look 
upon it in that light, he said it amounted 
to that ; dwelt much on the difficulties 
which would attend the exemption of 
any portion of those by law subject to 
draft ; said that if he began, there would 
be no stopping place ; spoke of the diffi- 
culties with which he was beset on every 
hand ; of the trouble he w^as having with 
the Governor of New York on account 
of the draft in that state ; said he had 
not time to give attention and thought 
to these matters ; that before one thing 
was duly considered and digested, another 
of a totally different character was pre- 
sented and pressed upon his attention 5 



10 THE CONSCRIPT QUAKERS. 

that anything he might do or say to-day 
would be in the public papers to-morrow, 
and be heralded from Maine to Georgia. 
At length, however, he said that he 
" should be very unwilling for any truly 
conscientious person to be made to suf- 
fer ; " immediately adding, " hut even 
this must not he rejyeated.'^ He finally 
asked, " What can we do for you ? I 
don't see what we can do." I replied 
that our Governor suggested that he 
might think it would do to release these 
men on parole ; to hold them subject to 
call. At this he was silent for some time 
and made no reply to the remark ; but I 
thought it struck him favorably, and that 
if anything was ultimately done, this 
course might be pursued. 

The President said it would not do to 
make a special exception in the case of 
Friends ; that there were others who pro- 



THE CONSCRIPT QUAKERS. H 

fessed to be conscientiously opposed to 
war. We acknowledged this, and ex- 
pressed a hope that if any favors were 
granted, it would be done impartially. 
I remarked, however, that I nevertheless 
thought the claims of the Society of 
Friends stronger than those of any other 
class, from the fact that they had long 
since abolished slavery within their own 
borders ; and that if every other of the 
religious denominations had done the 
same, we should not have had this war ; 
to which he replied, " You never said a 
truer thing than that^ ^ 

Immediately after what was said about 
releasing the men on parole, the Presi- 
dent said to his clerk, " Take down the 

3 The Society of Friends in America made the holding 
of slaves a disownable offence, about the year 1780 ; the 
Yearly Meeting of Philadelphia as early as 1776. See 
Greeley's American Conjlict, voL i., p. 117, 118. 



12 THE CONSCRIPT QUAKERS. 

names of the men on wliose behalf these 
gentlemen are here, and put the paper 
where you can lay your hand on it." 
When, in the course of the conversation, 
I remarked that I did not know that any 
Friends had been forced into the rebel 
army by Jeff. Davis, he replied, "Yes 
there have, for we liberated five a few 
days since, who were taken prisoners at 
the battle of Gettysburg, and were then 
confined in Fort Delaware." 

He advised us to consult the Secretary 
of War in regard to the matter, and gave 
us a note of introduction to Secretary 
Stanton. He said he did not know 
whether any order had been given that 
would affect cases of this kind. Upon 
taking leave of the President we asked 
if we could see him again, after our in- 
terview with the Secretary of War, should 
we desire it. " Oh, yes," he said, "come 
right here and I will see you again." 



THE CONSCRIPT QUAKERS. 13 

Secretary Stanton received us cour- 
teously, and we opened to him the object 
of our call ; stated what the President 
had said as to whether or not any order 
had been issued to meet such cases. He 
replied, "iVb, and there can he none'^ 
We set forth as well as we could the dis- 
tress of our young friends, in being called 
on for service in the war, which they could 
not in conscience perform. The Secre- 
tary gave little or no encouragement that 
he could help us out of our troubles, but 
he told us that his own parents were 
Friends^ and spoke of those they had 
liberated from Fort Delaware, of whom 
the President had told us ; said that 
Thomas Evans (a Friend of Philadelphia 
whom we knew) came to Washington 
on their behalf, etc. The Provost Mar- 
shal (Fry) also treated us with much 
civility. 



14 THE CONSCRIPT QUAKERS. 

SooD after we entered the War Office, 
tlie Secretary of State ( Wm. H. Seward) 
came in and took a seat. He remained 
silent until our conference with Secretary 
Stanton was concluded; when Charles 
Perry (who had an impression that Sew- 
ard, when Governor of New York, had 
recommended the passage of a law to ex- 
empt from military service those who 
were conscientiously opposed to war) 
turned to him expecting a word of sym- 
pathy and encouragement, and remarked 
that he would perceive why we were 
there ; upon which he suddenly and with 
much vehemence of manner asked, ''Why 
don't the Quakers fight ? " Cliarles re- 
plied, "Because they believe it wrong, 
and cannot do it with a clear conscience." 
He reprimanded us severely because we 
refused to fight. After a httle pause I 
said, " Well, if this world were all, per- 



TEE CONSCRIPT QUAKERS. 15 

haps we might take thy advice ; " to 
which he responded, " The way to get 
alonff well in the next world is to do 
your duty in this." I replied, " That is 
what we are trying to do ; and now, I 
want to ask thee one question, and I 
want thee to answer it ; whose preroga- 
tive is it to decide what my duty is, 
thine or mine ? " He did not answer the 
question, but became more angry and 
excited ; asked, " Why, then, don't you 
pay the commutation ? " We told him 
we could see no difference between the 
responsibility of doing an act ourselves 
and that of hiring another to do it for 
us. On this he sprang from his seat and 
strided around in a circle of some eight 
or ten feet across, exclaiming, '^Then I'll 
pay it for you,'' and thrusting his hand 
into his coat pocket, added, '-' Fll give 
you my check / '' 



16 THE CONSCRIPT QUAKERS, 

Immediately after this exhibition, we 
took our leave in much sadness, at treat- 
ment so opposite to that we had ex- 
pected from Secretary Seward. 

We went directly to the President's 
house and found him ready to receive us 
pleasantly and kindly. We told him 
what Secretary Stanton had said as to 
the impossibility of an order being given 
to meet such cases as these ; which was, 
indeed, no more than we had anticipated. 
We told the President that we had met 
with Secretary Seward at the War Office 
and of his harsh treatment of us; that 
we were very glad of this second oppor- 
tunity to see Tiim^ for we feared that the 
strong feehngs of Secretary Seward 
against us might have an unfavorable in- 
fluence with him. He was walking the 
room at the time, and on hearing this, 
raised his head suddenly, and said with a 



THE CONSCRIPT QUAKERS. 17 

smile, " Oil ! lie would n't say half as 
much to me when you were gone." Af- 
ter some further talk in which his sym- 
pathy with us was plainly manifested, I 
think I may say we took an affectionate 
leave of him. 

On our return we stopped at Philadel- 
phia, to learn what further we could of 
the five Friends who had been in the 
rebel army. We went to the house of 
Thomas Evans, where they were staying, 
kindly cared for by himself and others. 
We had much conversation with them 
of great interest ; found that they had 
persistently refused to bear arms, or to 
do anything that would implicate them 
in taking the lives of their fellow-men. 
Four of them had been treated with a 
good degree of consideration ; no effort 
having been made to compel them to 
bear arms. But one had fallen into the 

2 



18 THE CONSCRIPT QUAKERS. 

hands of a hardened and cruel officer, 
who treated him with severity, to the ex- 
tent even of riding his horse against him, 
thus throwing him down and riding over 
him, without, however, doing him any 
material injury. The horse was more 
merciful than his rider, and refused to 
step on him. When he rose, the officer 
said to him with an oath, " I have not 
done with you yet. I will either make 
you fight or I will kill you." At one 
time he drew up a corps of his men in 
file, and ordered them to shoot him. In 
this extremity the young man exclaimed, 
" Father, forgive them ; they know not 
what they do." The soldiers were 
reached, and refused to obey, saying, 
" We cannot shoot this man." This was 
but a short time before the battle of 
Gettysburg, early in which engagement, 
this officer was killed ; and the non-com- 



TEE CONSCRIPT QUAKERS. 19 

batants were sent to the rear. The 
rebels were obliged to retreat, and these 
Friends being found after the battle 
were taken prisoners as already stated. 

We stayed over First-day at Thomas 
Evans' and attended their Siontli^ Meet- 
ing in Philadelphia on Second-day ; then 
returned home. 

The conscripted young men were soon 
summoned to camp, whither Provost 
Marshal Chadsey advised that they be 
allowed to go, as a choice of evils, be- 
tween that, and their being taken as 
prisoners to Governor's Island (a mili- 
tary station in New York harbor), to be 
disposed of as might there be deter- 
mined. He said they were old military 
stagers at Governor's Island, who knew 
little aside from military operations and 
tactics, and would have little or no idea 
of lenity or mercy. But we thought if 



20 THE CONSCRIPT QUAKERS. 

they went into camp they might be 
summarily ordered away, beyond our 
reach ; and further, that we might as well 
know the worst at once ; that if they 
were to be tried by court-martial as de- 
serters, it might as well come first as 
last. We therefore decided to go with 
them to Governor's Island ; and did so, 
under feelings of intense anxiety and 
much doubt as to the result. 

Before seeing the Commandant, who 
was a Colonel Loomis, we happened to 
meet with the physician and the surgeon, 
both of whom, after hearing our story, at 
once took part with us. We found that 
the former was well acquainted with 
Friends, his wife being a member of the 
Society ; and that the latter was a man 
of more than ordinary ability, and of 
very kindly feelings. On coming before 
the Colonel, the surgeon at once volun- 



THE CONSCRIPT QUAKERS. 21 

teered to plead our cause, saying, " Colo- 
nel, it will never do to send such men 
as these over to the castle ; * they are of 
the respectable and intelligent class of 
society ; " to which the Colonel replied, 
" That is what I should like to avoid." 
After hearing our plea, he said he should 
send us over to General Canby, who had 
charge of the troops in the city. The 
surgeon (Dr. White) asked the Colonel 
if he might go with us to General Can- 
by's headquarters, saying that we should 
need a guide. To this a ready assent 
was given, I need not say greatly to our 
satisfaction. 

General Canby listened considerately 
to our plea, but said he thought we 
might pay the commutation without any 

4 A place which we subsequently visited, and found it 
filled with an apparently vile and hardened set; among 
them many from the lowest classes in the city. 



22 THE CONSCRIPT QUAKERS. 

sacrifice of principle; that it was put 
into the law purposely to meet such 
cases. We replied that we could see no 
difference between taking up arms our- 
selves and hiring others to do it in our 
places ; that by the law this commuta- 
tion was to be used to hire a substitute. 
He did not seem disposed to discuss the 
question, and soon said : " Well, I can 
pretty easily appreciate your scruples ; 
my near relations are mostly Friends ; " 
when Charles Perry said, "It is very 
singular that we meet so many who are 
connected with Friends in our calls upon 
military men ; that the Secretary of War 
told us that his parents were Friends." 
General Canby soon said he thought it 
best to write the President and lay the 
case before him. He then wrote to Col- 
onel Loomis on the Island, and handed 
the letter folded but unsealed to Charles 



THE CONSCRIPT QUAKERS. 23 

Perry, who was about to put it in his 
pocket, when General Canby said to him, 
" Read it ; " which Charles then did ; 
and with much feeling said, "It is all we 
could ask ; if I had written it myself I 
could not have put it in more satisfactory 
terms." The letter was to this effect: 
That he had decided to refer the case of 
these men to the President, for his judg- 
ment ; and meanwhile, until he received 
an answer, the Colonel was directed to 
retain them on the Island, with no other 
restriction than their word that they 
would not leave ; and that nothing should 
be required of them inconsistent with 
their principles. 

We left General Canby with a com- 
fortable hope that we should get a favor- 
able decision ; knowing that when Presi- 
dent Lincoln saw the names of the men, 
he would find, by reference to the list his 



24. THE CONSCRIPT QUAKERS. 

clerk had taken, that they were the 
same ; and that he would remember our 
interviews with him. We then went 
back to the Island, and leaving the young 
men there, returned home. After waiting 
more than two weeks, and hearing noth- 
ing from General Canby, who was to ad- 
vise us of any tidings he might receive, 
we again went to New York to learn 
what further we could. We first called 
on the General, who said he had been 
expecting letters for some time, but had 
as yet received none. We then went to 
the Island and saw the young men, who 
were a good deal discouraged, fearing 
they would have to remain there during 
the war. We left them and went to 
Flushing, Long Island, to stop with our 
relatives there, promising to return next 
morning and spend the First-day with 
them. On going back next morning, 



THE CONSCRIPT QUAKERS. 25 

wnen nearing the Island, we saw the 
young men standing on the wharf, look- 
ing very cheerful. On landing they in- 
formed us that an order had been re- 
ceived from Washington for their re- 
lease ! They had a copy of the order, 
and passed it to us to read. It required 
that these men be discharged on parole 
until they should be called for. Surgeon 
White was with them on the wharf, and 
appeared no less joyful than the rest ; he 
asked whether we knew what " until 
they are called for " meant ; adding, " it 
means that they will never be called 
for." We told him that we so under- 
stood it. Taking leave of him with due 
acknowledgment of his kindness in this 
time of trial, we immediately left the 
Island. Our young friends went with us 
to Flushing, where we stayed until the 
next day. Upon our return to the city, 



26 THE CONSCRIPT QUAKERS. 

we again called on General Canby, and 
tbanked him for the kindness which he 
had shown us, and the interest he had 
manifested on our behalf ; far beyond 
what we had reason to expect. 

We took the evening boat for home ; 
and I never remember to have spent a 
more joyful day and night in my life. 
My peace flowed as a river, and a song 
of thanksgiving unutterable was raised 
unto Him whose Almighty Hand was 
clearly discernible throughout these re- 
markable occurrences. 

Provost Marshal Chadsey, on being 
informed of the kind and feeling recep- 
tion, which we met at Governor's Island 
and in New York city, and of the final 
result, exclaimed, " You were right and 
I was wrong ; " and added, " It really 
seems as if the Divine Hand was in it." 

The young men went to their several 



TEE CONSCRIPT QUAKERS. 27 

homes, and continued to pursue their or- 
dinary avocations until the end of the 
war. No call was ever made for them 
by the government. 

No doubt the faithfulness we were en- 
abled to pursue in going to Governor's 
Island was a great aid in the removal of 
our difficulties. We have, in the experi- 
ence we met with from the authorities of 
the land, and especially from the mili- 
tary officers, a striking illustration of the 
great advance in religious toleration and 
freedom which has been made since the 
early settlement of our country ; and a 
forcible reminder that we of this gener- 
ation owe much to the unflinching in- 
tegrity and faithfulness of our early 
Friends ; even unto death, in support of 
our testimonies. 

Note. We are glad to acknowledge that the Charter of 
Rhode Island, granted to Roger Williams and his asso- 



28 TBE CONSCniPT QUAKERS. 

ciates for the organization of the government of that colony 
in 1663, provided for ^'fuU liberty in religious concern- 
ments^^ (a very comprehensive term); and that however 
much the laws in times of excitement may have swerved 
from this only true ground, yet it has ever been the pre- 
vailing policy of its people from that day to this. These 
original settlers, as well as those of Pennsjdvania, under 
the auspices of William Penn and the early Friends, ex- 
hibited to the natives the Christian virtues they professed ; 
bought and paid for the soil they occupied, and otherwise 
treated them with fairness and honesty. They thus se- 
cured the good-will and kind offices of the native tribes ; 
and it was not until differences arose between the Indians 
of Rhode Island, under the rule of the celebrated King 
Philip, and the European settlers of Plymouth and Massa- 
chusetts, who were sympathized with and aided by those 
of Connecticut, that hostilities commenced ; culminating 
in the great swamp fight near the close of the yesiv 1675, in 
which the Indians were most cruelly destroyed, both by 
the carnage of war and by fire. The " New American Cy- 
clopedia," vol. xiv., page 53, says, " Rhode Island was op- 
posed to this exterminating war, and was not even con- 
sulted in regard to it by the other colonies." 

The following extract from the Charter of Rhode Island 
shows upon what broad and tolerant ground its govern- 
ment was founded. The King (Charles II.) in the open- 
ing clause of the charter, speaking of the settlers, says : 
"And whereas in their humble address they have freely 



TBE CONSCRIPT QUAKERS. 29 

declared, that it is much on their hearts (if they may be 
permitted) to hold forth a lively experiment that a most 
flourishing civil state may stand and best be maintained, 
and that among our English subjects, with a full liberty 
in religious concernments; and that true piety, rightly 
grounded upon gospel principles, will give the best and 
greatest security to sovereignty, and will lay in the hearts 
of men the strongest obligations to true loyalty: Now 
know ye," etc. ; goes on, " to secure them in the free exer- 
cise and enjoyment of all their civil and religious rights," 
etc. 

The Government of Rhode Island was continued under 
this original charter until the year 1842, when it was fol- 
lowed by the present Constitution, which fully recognizes 
the same sound and noble principles as the foundation of 
the state. 



'OV 1 l?"f 



Hf 



THE CONSCRIPT QUAKERS. 



f 



%1 



LBFo '06 



. f':?\,\ 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 





013 211288 5 | 



